The present invention generally relates to cutlery, including knives and other utensils used in preparing food. More particularly, the invention relates to a cutlery device with a bolster that facilitates use and handling of the cutlery implement. In addition, the invention relates to a cutlery block that facilitates storage of cutlery implements.
Cutlery devices such as knives are well known and are provided in various forms for particular uses. Generally, a knife has a blade portion at one end and a handle portion at an opposite end. A tang, which is typically formed integrally with the blade portion, extends into the handle portion and is surrounded by material that defines a predetermined or designated area where the knife can be held.
Generally, however, these areas do not provide the level of comfort and control that one needs when handling cutlery. Consequently chefs and other food service professionals may often grasp the knife in a different manner. Specifically, professionals tend to grip a knife forward of the handle so that their hand is partially on the blade portion.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a prior art knife 1, and the hand position 8 utilized by a professional. As illustrated, the bolster 4 of the knife 1 generally dictates the hand position 8 of the user. The ideal hand position 8 for a user extends forward of the bolster area 4, partially on the blade portion 6. This places the hand slightly forward of the rear edge 10 of the blade portion 6. Specifically, the user grips the knife by placing the thumb and forefinger over the bolster and blade. The remaining three fingers of the hand wrap around the handle. Thus, the user still may experience discomfort and blistering because of where they must position their hand on the knife.
Generally, the bolster portion of a knife creates a hard edge. A user holding the knife with such a hard edge may experience pain and blistering after prolonged use of the knife. In addition, the hard edge of a bolster does not provide the user with an optimal safe and secure grip. To avoid this hard edge, a user may hold the knife in another area, which results in the user's hand not being centered across the length of the knife. Holding the knife off-center is likely to afford the user less control and result in inefficient use. Contour-shaped, ergonomic handles are known in the art. Such handles, however, are often thick and bulky and do not provide for comfortable use by consumers. Moreover, the handles known in the art are not as comfortable when gripped between the thumb and forefinger over the bolster and the blade, as is typical for professional users.
One known cutlery knife has a blended bolster area, that is, a bolster that has a more tapered edge. The bolster is located past the rear edge of the blade, closer to the handle. Due in part to the bolster's position, this knife has several drawbacks because the ability to control the knife still requires the user to grip a substantial amount of the blade area, which is typically thinner and thus harder to grip.
As a result, there is a need for a cutlery implement that has a bolster that allows the user to effectively control the knife while limiting discomfort. More specifically, it is desirable to provide cutlery with a bolster that is comfortable for both professional and ordinary consumers, that is cutlery that may be gripped comfortably by either lay users or professional users.
Cutlery blocks are well known and are provided in various forms. Generally, cutlery blocks include slots of uniform width, which are adapted to store conventional cutlery devices, including the aforementioned conventional cutlery implements.